1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of producing a booklet, in particular identity papers. The invention additionally relates to a data page, manufactured according to this method and a booklet manufactured according to this method.
2. Description of Related Art
Identity papers and, in particular, passports contain personal data which should be integrated as securely as possible into the booklet or passport. In order to increase the security, it is known to introduce data pages as data carriers into passports. As a result, security against manipulations can also be increased substantially. These data pages contain at least one personalization page and can be made of comparatively rigid plastic, for example polycarbonate. If such rigid data pages are bound in, for example sewn in, then under certain circumstances the passport or the booklet can no longer be closed completely. In addition, given frequent use and, in particular, frequent bending of the booklet, fractures can arise in the plastic of the data page.
In the prior art, a plurality of solutions have already been presented as to how data pages which are intrinsically difficult to bend could be bound into the booklet.
For example, EP 1 008 459 A discloses a method of producing a booklet which has a plurality of paper sheets and a cover and a plate as data carrier. In order to bind the plate in, a band is provided, which is connected mechanically to the plate. In order to connect the band to the plate, a plastic strip is provided which has studs which engage in corresponding apertures in the band and therefore connect the band mechanically to the strip. In addition, the strip is adhesively bonded or welded to the band. Connecting the band to the plate is comparatively complicated, and the strip needed for the connection represents an additional part, which has to be produced and mounted and increases the thickness of the data page.
WO 98/19870 discloses a passport having a data page made of thermoplastic material, which has an opaque core layer (inlet layer) and a flexible thermoplastic layer. The flexible thermoplastic layer is sewn directly into the book. Here, too, there is the problem of the brittleness of the thermoplastic material.